Patent GB-310712-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in and relating to a method and apparatus for the manufacture of springbeard knitting machine needles
IPC: B21G1/04
Filed: 1928-07-07
Abstract: 310,712. Hofmann Needle Works, Inc., A., and Hofmann, A. July 7, 1928. Needles. - Spring-beard knitting machine needles are produced by a continuous operation consisting in transferring a needle blank from a reciprocating carrier to each of a number of operating devices, the needle blank being transferred after each operation back to the carrier prior to being transferred to the next operating device; the several operations performed comprise in succession, as shown in Fig. 59, severing the blank A, grinding the butt B, swaging the groove portion C, swaging the beard portion D, trimming the point E, grinding the point F, buffing the point portion G, bending the butt H, punching the groove K, flattening the shank L, and bending the beard M. The finished needles are then tempered. The carrier 27, Fig. 6, which conveys the needles from station to station during the intervals between the working operations, extends the whole length of the machine and is equipped with several pairs of jaws 53, each pair taking a needle from the work holder at one station and then moving forward to deliver the needle to the work holder at the next station. Driving arrangements. A transverse shaft 5 which drives several of the operating devices receives motion from the longitudinal main shaft 3 through gearing 4. The main shaft 3 drives a cam shaft 33 by means of a belt 48, pulley 49 on shaft 50, and worm gearing 51, 52, and shaft 33 drives another longitudinal shaft 30 by a chain 31. A second cam shaft 33<a> is driven from shaft 33 by a chain 159. The work holders are mounted on carriages reciprocated transversely of the machine by levers rocking about a shaft 66 and actuated by cams on the shaft 33a. Wire straightener and reciprocating gripper feed. The wire W, Fig. 8, is drawn through a straightener 8 rotated from the shaft 5 by a belt 7, and the wire feed slide 13 is actuated by a link 15 and crank disc on a shaft 40 driven by gearing 23, 24 from a shaft 22 driven by gearing 28 from shaft 30. Wire cutter. The wire is passed through a guide 17, Fig. 8. into an apertured blank holder 18 to take up position over two stationary knives 19 spaced apart a distance equal to the length of the blank, which is severed by two movable knives 20 actuated by cams 21 on the shaft 22. Transfer mechanism. The blank holder 18 is mounted on a bar 26, Fig. 9, moving in a channel above the main carrier 27. The latter is reciprocated longitudinally by a lever 44, Fig. 7, actuated by a drum cam 42, and is also moved up and down by arms 46 raised and lowered by levers 100 working on cams 102 so that the carrier 27 has a parallelogram motion. When the carrier is raised and moves forward a lug 40 thereon, Fig. 9, engages an arm 41 on the bar 26 and moves the blank holder 18 forward into position for the blank to be taken by the first work holder 61, Fig. 10, whereupon the carrier descends and releases the bar 26, which is returned to initial position by a spring 26a. The pairs of jaws mounted at intervals along the length of the carrier 27 are shown in Fig. 15. The jaws 53, pivoted to a bracket 54, are closed normally by springs 55 and opened by pointed lugs 60 on pivoted levers 56 raised by cams 58 on a bar 38 reciprocated by a lever 35. Fig. 1, operated by a cam 34 on the shaft 33. the lever 35 carrying a roller 37 engaging spaced lugs 39 on the bar 38. Grinding the needle butt. The spring-closed jaws of the work holder 61, Fig. 10, which holds the needle blank during the grinding of the butt are opened to take the blank by a plunger 77 nctuated by lever 80 with roller 81 riding on a plate 82 carried by a rear bar 72<a> raised by a cam lever 73<a>. The work holder is reciprocated to present the needle through a guide 92 to the grinding wheel 63 by a cam lever 65. The bearings 83 of the grinding wheel are angularly adjustable about a shaft 85 supported on a slidable block 86 reciprocated by a lever 91 and cam 90 to ensure uniform wear of the grinding wheel. After the butt grinding, as well as each later operation, the work holder moves away from the working tool &c. and at the same time the carrier rises, the needle is transferred to a pair of jaws on the carrier, advanced thereby to the next work holder, transferred from the carrier jaws to that work holder and presented thereby to the next working tool. Thus, the needle is transferred from work holder 61 to the work holder 93, Fig. 14, for swaging of the groove portion by the swage 98. Swaging. The swaging device, Fig. 19, comprises a rotatable member 110 supporting the swages 113 and their presser blocks 112 engaging a series of rollers 111 in a casing 115. The jaws of the work holder 93 are opened to take the needle by the lever 99 and cam-actuated front bar 72 and the work holder is reciprocated by the cam lever 94. A modified construction of work holder for holding the needle during swaging is shown in Fig. 51 and comprises spring-closed jaws, the upper jaw 254 being pivoted at 255 and adapted to be raised by a lever 256 pivoted at 257 and engaging an adjustable screw 259. After the first swaging the needle is heated by a gas jet 103 normally held raised and lowered by a rod 104 actuated by a lever 106 and cam 108. The needle is now transferred to the next work holder 116 and the beard portion is swaged down in a second swaging operation by a swage 117 similar to the swage 98, after which it :.s again heated by another gas jet 103a. Trimming and grinding the point and buffing. These operations are performed at the next station where the needle is held by the work holder 120, Fig. 22. It is first passed through a guide 133 and the end trimmed off by a pivoted cutter 134 actuated by a lever 135 on a shaft 136 rocked by a cam 138. Continued forward movement of the work holder advances the point through a guide 133 to a grinding wheel 139 mounted in a bracket 141 pivoted on a slide 140 reciprocated by a lever 149 and cam 151 to ensure uniform wear of the grinding wheel. The mounting of the grinding wheels for rounding the butt and grinding the point may be modified as shown in Fig. 50, wherein the slide 244 of thn bracket 241 is actuated by means of a rack 253 and pinion 252 on a shaft 246 by a ratchet wheel 247, pawl 248 and cam lever 249. An extension 148 of the bracket 141 carries a roller 147 bearing on a cam 145 on a bracket 146 fixed to the work holder 120 whereby the grinding wheel is raised as the work holder advances to conform to the tapered point portion. The work holder is reciprocated by the cam lever 129 and the spring-closed jaws are opened by a plunger 125, levers 126, 127 and rising bar 128. Butt bending and groove punching. At the next working station the needle is taken by a work holder 153, Figs. 27 and 29, comprising a fixed jaw and a pivoted jaw member 163 normally closed by a spring and opened to receive the needle by the rising bar 72. The butt bending device comprises a lever 164 pivoted to the work holder and provided with a roller 165 at its front end; above the lever and moving with it is a cam track 166 engaged by a roller 168 on a stationary member 167. The needle is held between the jaws of the work holder with its butt end against a gauging stop 164a. When the work holder is advanced by the cam lever 154 the lever 164 is depressed by the action of the cam track 166 and the roller 165 bends the butt end over the face of the lower jaw 163<a> into a groove on the rear face thereof. The groove part of the needle is brought by this forward movement into a groove 169b in an anvil block 169 below the grooving punch 171 mounted in a slide actuated by a crank 173<a> on a shaft 173, Figs. 1, 7 and 42. Shaft 173 carries loose thereon a flywheel 174 driven by belt 175 from shaft 3, and is clutched thereto for one revolution by a spring- pressed latch 176, Fig. 42a, adapted to engage one of a number of pins 176a on the flywheel. The latch 176 is normally held out of action by a catch 177 on a lever 178 having a cam roller 179 engaging a cam 180. The anvil 169 has two grooved portions 169<b> for reversibility. Flattening needle shank. After punching the groove the needle is transferred to the work holder 183, Figs. 34 and 36, the jaws of which are spring closed and opened by plunger mechanism 188, 190. Since the flattening is in a plane at right angles to the groove the work holder is rotated through 90‹ as it advances to present the needle to the hammer 198 by means of a pin 196 engaging a cam groove 195 in a collar 194. To avoid distortion of the shank the needle is released from the grip of the work holder jaws at the time of striking of the hammer by a projection 199 thereon engaging a pin 200 which separates the jaws, and the work holder is at the same time slightly retracted by a lug 201 to avoid bending in case the needle elongates due to the flattening. A pivoted cam-operated guide 205 ensures the needle being correctly positioned on the anvil. The striker 198 is carried by a slide operated by a crank 173b on the one-revolution shaft 173. Bending the beard. For this operation the needle is transferred to the work holder 209, Fig. 42, and the beard is bent over a mandrel 223 by a rotary sector 232, Fig. 47. The mandrel 223 is moved into position by the lever and cam mechanism 224, 225, 226. The needle is then brought forward into a groove in the anvil and under the mandrel and is properly aligned by a finger 218 on a pivoted lever 217 lowered by a cam 219 as the work holder advances. The needle is held down during the bending operation by a cam-operated finger 229. The bending sector 232 is mounted on a shaft having a pulley 233 connected by belting 234 to a pulley 235 on a shaft operated by gearing from a cam follower 236 working on a cam 231 whereby the sector 232 is rotated half a revolution and then reversed. Tempering. The needles are transferred by the last pair of jaws 53, Fig. 68, on the carrier 27 to a platform 275 mounted on a pivot 276 and lowered by a ca